The Secret Drawer
by x.one.winged.angel.x
Summary: Tifa finds a secret drawer belonging to Cloud, and can't resist looking inside. My first FF fic.


Tifa dashed up the stairs taking two at a time. The phone in Cloud's office was ringing - yet again. She really needed to get one downstairs.

"Hello Strife Delivery Service - you name we deliver." she said, slightly out of breathe. Tifa went to take the order when she realised there was no pen by the notepad. Frowning she opened the top drawer of Cloud's desk and began to root to find something to write with. The drawer was an absolute mess - she would have to talk to him about organising his things better.

Eventually she stumbled across a pen and scribbled down the customers address before putting the phone down. She look at Cloud's drawer which was now hanging right out and the stuff inside had been churned up more due to her rooting. She went to lift it out so she could sort it out, when suddenly a middle drawer she wasn't aware was there popped open. Had she just stumbled upon a secret drawer?

Laying down the top drawer she approached the secret one. Apart of her felt guilty of course for snooping. If Cloud had a secret drawer - he obviously wanted to keep that which was inside a secret.

But apart of her couldn't help herself. She and Cloud were close, but even so, she didn't know the real him. He didn't really like to reveal much about himself, not even to her. She longed for him to open up. But maybe in this drawer she find something out about him. Maybe even a diary. It was wrong, but she knew she couldn't stop herself

She looked inside and saw just one thing, a plain black box, and engraved in thin, silver writing on the lid, was the word _Memories_. She pried off the lid. The first thing she saw inside was a photograph taken in Aeris church of them all, after the Geo Stigma.

Beside that was a photo taken after the events of Deepground, when they had all returned to the bar for 'a couple of cold ones' as Cid had called it. Tifa liked this picture, because for once Vincent seemed to be smiling.

There where a few more photos of her, Denzel, Marlene, or others from Avalanche. Then there was a flower, tied with a pink ribbon, and a photo of _her_. Tifa tried to ignored the painful jab in her heart. There was a second flower next to it, that appeared to have been pressed to preserved it - and Tifa recognised it as the flower Cloud had given her all those years ago when he had returned form his first mission from Avalanche.

Below that - much to her surprise, was a picture of Cloud in his dress. Although his blush was evident - he was standing there in a rather feminine pose for the photo. She was surprised he hadn't burnt that photo. Next was a photo of Zack, looking very proud in his SOLDIER uniform, Buster Sword slung on his back. There were a few more of Shinra troops Tifa didn't recognise.

Then there was a photo of Cloud's mother. Some pictures of him as a child in Nibelheim, with boys down the street she recognised. She found one of all the kids on the street - her included. She smiled, how young they both were.

Everything that had been in the box showed her a little more about him. The photographs, the flowers - despite how hard he acted on the outside, inside he truly was a very sentimental person. She liked knowing that. As cold he would act sometimes, he did really care. It made him see more human… and all the more desirable.

When she came to the final item in the box and had to cover her mouth to stop herself from shrieking. She picked it up, and ran her fingers over the soft cotton. Tifa was holding a pair of her underwear from when she was fifteen. She was surprised that she recognised them but she did, they had been her favourite pair.

But why did Cloud have them?!? She realised the story he had told in Kalm Inn when they had first set out… he had mentioned looking in her drawers then, but when she questioned him, he blushed and said he was kidding. But clearly he hadn't been.

She wasn't quite sure to react. On one hand maybe flattered? The fact he kept them… even take them in the first place.. He must have had a reason? Maybe a crush on her? Of course it could be turned around. Taking a girls panties and keeping them… was a little creepy. If anyone else would have done that she probably would have beat them up. But Cloud wasn't the creepy type.

She sat for some time pondering the reason, so long in fact she didn't realise Cloud had returned home. He came upstairs and opened the door of his office.

"TIFA!?! What are you doing?"

She froze. Her initial reaction would be to start apologizing profusely and run from the room - but she realised that would only cause problems in the future. She wouldn't be able to look at Cloud again.

Instead a plan formed in her mind. She stood up, panties in hand. She walked towards him, smirking, and tossed him the panties. He caught them and blushed with what he saw. She walked right up to him, so close her could fell her breathe run down his neck as she whispered in his ear,

"You go in my drawers… I go in yours."


End file.
